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Raleigh man says sheriff's deputy shot his dog

A Raleigh man wants an apology from the Wake County Sheriff's Office and help paying a $1,900 vet bill after a deputy shot his dog.

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RALEIGH, N.C. — A Raleigh man is asking the Wake County Sheriff’s Office for an apology and help paying a $1,900 veterinary bill after a deputy shot his 6-year-old boxer, Rocky, last week.

Stan Bailey said Tuesday that the deputy was responding to a domestic disturbance call on Rock Drive in Raleigh on Friday when the dog ran up behind the deputy and started barking.

Bailey's sister, Michelle Bailey, was with Rocky at the time.

She said the dog was about 5 feet away from the deputy when he shot him in the head. The bullet traveled through his face and exited his neck, she said.

"I believe the (deputy) did what he thought was right, but, I mean, officers are trained to know what to do in a panic," Michelle Bailey said. "They just can't shoot a dog because they're scared."

She said the 85-pound animal is not aggressive and does not believe he was a threat.

Wake County Sheriff Donnie Harrison said the deputy, J. Collado, perceived the dog to be a threat and took appropriate action in the situation.

"We see nothing that our deputy did wrong," Harrison said, adding that any restitution is a civil matter.

The Baileys said that, after Rocky was shot, he ran out in the road and disappeared into the woods.

They followed his trail of blood for a mile until they lost him in the woods. They found him seven hours later and took him to a veterinary hospital, where he underwent surgery Saturday morning.

"I thought he was dead," Stan Bailey said. "I'm ecstatic that he's alive."

Rocky was back home Tuesday, where he will recover for the next several weeks.

"I think the cop panicked and did the first thing he thought of, and that was to shoot him," Stan Bailey said. "I know that dog. He wouldn't have attacked him."

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